The Karma Killings reconstructs the Nithari disappearances and investigation through interviews, occasional dramatization and drawings, according to a 2017 review by Nandini Ramnath in Scroll.in. The review reads the film as leaning toward the view that Moninder Singh Pandher did not know what his employee Surendra Koli was doing, but it says the documentary does not settle what Pandher knew. Later court decisions changed the legal picture: by November 11, 2025, the Supreme Court of India had granted Koli relief in the remaining case after earlier acquittals had been upheld. Those rulings resolved convictions; they did not identify who committed the crimes or answer every question families have raised.
What does The Karma Killings cover?
Ram Devineni’s feature-length documentary follows the Nithari case from the disappearances through the police investigation, Koli’s arrest and confession, Pandher’s arrest, and proceedings in court and the newsroom. That account of the film comes from Ramnath’s January 18, 2017 Scroll.in review, rather than an independent inspection of the documentary.
Ramnath reports that Devineni interviewed victims’ families, Koli’s wife, investigating officers, Pandher’s son, lawyers on both sides and a psychologist who interviewed Koli. The film also uses occasional dramatization and drawings, according to the review. It is therefore a reconstruction shaped by selected testimony and presentation, not a court record or a final judicial account of what happened.
What does the film suggest about Pandher—and what does it leave unresolved?
Ramnath’s reading is that the documentary leans toward the view that Pandher was unaware of Koli’s actions. The film, as described in the review, emphasizes Pandher’s absences and his trust in his employee. But the review says the documentary does not firmly establish Pandher’s innocence or resolve how much he knew.
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The review also discusses allegations that Pandher bought his way out of a sentence. Those are allegations voiced in reporting, not findings established by the review or a court. The distinction matters: a documentary’s framing, a relative’s claim and a judicial finding are different kinds of evidence.
Where the review sees weaknesses in the film
Ramnath criticizes the documentary for giving police a “kid-glove treatment” and for not pursuing media reports about delayed police action. The review also notes class bias in Pandher’s son’s defense of his father. These are the critic’s assessments of the film and its framing, not legal conclusions.
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The review quotes Karan Deep Singh Pandher, identified as Moninder Singh Pandher’s son, saying: “When you have a rich man stuck in something, then it’s a story.” The line is presented as a statement in the documentary and review; it is not a court finding. Ramnath also reports an exchange in confession footage in which a magistrate asks, “In the kitchen?” The review does not name the magistrate, and the reported exchange should not be treated as independently authenticated here.
What happened in the Nithari case after the documentary?
The documentary and its 2017 review predate later appellate rulings. The legal timeline below separates the investigation’s chronology from subsequent court decisions.
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| When | What the cited source records |
|---|---|
| December 2006 | A later report describes skeletal remains found in a drain behind the residence. This is a reported discovery, not itself a judicial finding about who committed the crimes. |
| January 2007 | The Allahabad High Court’s account in Surendra Koli vs C.B.I. records transfer of the ongoing investigation to the CBI. |
| October 16, 2023 | The Allahabad High Court acquitted Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in two, according to its judgment. |
| July 31, 2025 | India Today reported that the Supreme Court had dismissed challenges to the 2023 acquittals. At that point Koli still faced imprisonment under a separate life sentence in the Rimpa Haldar case; this was an intermediate status. |
| November 11, 2025 | The Supreme Court of India, in Surendra Koli v. State of Uttar Pradesh & Anr., 2025 INSC 1308, granted relief in Koli’s curative petition concerning the remaining case. |
The November 2025 Supreme Court judgment is the latest primary source in this account. Older descriptions saying Koli remained imprisoned under the Rimpa Haldar sentence reflect the July 2025 position, not the later curative judgment. The decisions mean the convictions did not survive review in these proceedings. They do not amount to a judicial identification of the actual perpetrator.
How should viewers compare the documentary with the court record?
The two accounts answer different questions. The documentary, as characterized by its 2017 reviewer, offers a narrative reconstruction and presents selected perspectives. The judgments address legal proceedings and their outcomes. A useful comparison keeps those roles separate:
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- Chronology: Check which period the film covers against the court record, including the January 2007 transfer of the investigation to the CBI.
- Perspective: Notice whose interviews and testimony the review says the film includes, and whose accounts may be missing or receive less scrutiny.
- Evidence and procedure: Treat a confession or an interview shown in a documentary as part of its narrative; the court judgments provide the procedural and legal context.
- Claims versus findings: Keep allegations about police response, Pandher’s knowledge or alleged influence distinct from conclusions actually reached by courts.
- Timing: Account for appellate decisions after 2017. The film and its contemporary review cannot reflect the 2023 acquittals or the Supreme Court’s November 2025 curative judgment.
What remains unanswered?
The review’s unresolved question is how much Pandher knew, and its critique also asks whether the film examines police conduct and class dynamics closely enough. Later court outcomes do not supply a complete narrative answer to those questions. Acquittals and relief from convictions determine legal status; they do not, by themselves, establish who committed the crimes or settle every family’s questions.
For a broader, non-case-specific perspective on class and domestic service, Ramnath’s review points to Rana Dasgupta’s Capital: A Portrait of Twenty-First Century Delhi. It is contextual reading, not a legal authority or a dedicated history of the Nithari case.
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